"If they went till 24 crores, they could have gone till 25 as well" - Aakash Chopra on Gujarat Titans failing to buy Mitchell Starc in IPL auction

Aakash Chopra has expressed surprise about the Gujarat Titans (GT) not going the full distance to acquire Mitchell Starc in the IPL 2024 auction.

The Kolkata Knight Riders outbid the Titans to buy Starc for a whopping ₹24.75 crore at the auction. The IPL 2022 champions then spent ₹10 crore to purchase Spencer Johnson to bolster their overseas seam-bowling attack.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned the Gujarat Titans for not going the extra mile to buy Starc. He reasoned (0:01):

"You ran after Mitchell Starc for sure but stopped on the verge of acquiring him, and then eight crore rupees were left in your purse. You start wondering what was Gujarat's strategy, that why they went till 24 crores and then pulled out even though money was still left in their kitty."

The former India opener added:

"We thought that if Gujarat wanted someone, no one would be able to stop them because they had the most money and had to fill the least slots, if we talk about the combination. The team was already ready. So if they went till 24 crores, they could have gone till 25 as well."

GT had ₹38.15 crore in their kitty to buy a maximum of eight players, including two foreigners, heading into the auction. Although they eventually assembled a full-strength 25-member squad, ₹7.85 crore were still left in their purse.

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"Gerald Coetzee was available at five crores" - Aakash Chopra on Gujarat Titans buying Spencer Johnson for 10 crores

The Mumbai Indians bought Gerald Coetzee for ₹5 crore. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra feels the Gujarat Titans could have acquired Gerald Coetzee for a cheaper price than the amount they spent to buy Spencer Johnson. He elaborated (2:40):

"They pulled out and said that they would go in some other direction. There they bought Spencer Johnson for 10 crores. It was almost clear that they needed a left-arm fast bowler. However, I have become a broken record - Gerald Coetzee was available at five crores, so you could have taken him."

The cricketer-turned-commentator isn't convinced about Johnson succeeding in the IPL. He said:

"Spencer Johnson is alright. He bowls fast but I have my reservations based on however much I have seen him. Yes, he bowls at 145 kph but I have got no idea how he will settle in the IPL-named beast. I am 50-50, I am not convinced yet."

Chopra isn't sure whether the Gujarat Titans would be able to consistently field Johnson in the playing XI either. He reckons Kane Williamson, David Miller, and Rashid Khan will occupy three of the four overseas positions, and Noor Ahmad will potentially play ahead of the Australian left-arm seamer on certain pitches.